Near Miss
by GryffindorCriss
Summary: Tina is nearly hit by a curse when she's a few months pregnant - Newt panics, of course.


**Another Newtina fic...most of these were on my tumblr beforehand, so if they look familiar that's probably why.**

The stunning spell had been easy to dodge, really, even more so due to her years of training improving her quick reflexes; she had taken down the dark wizard shortly after without any problems. It wasn't the first near-miss and it certainly wouldn't be the last, the way this war was carrying on.

But usually she wasn't pregnant.

Tina would argue that being pregnant didn't mean being unable to continue her work; yes, being an Auror was dangerous work and incredibly risky, especially now with Grindelwald on the rise, and she of course wanted to have a healthy pregnancy - but she was _barely_ even showing. She would go on leave in the later months, she decided, when she was large and sore with a swollen belly in the way.

Newt had other ideas.

"I don't think it's good for the baby," He sighed one evening, mixing some pellets together for the mooncalves. "The stress could hurt either one of you…"

"So now you're a qualified Healer as well as a Magizoologist?" She questioned, somewhat annoyed by his concern – usually it was endearing, but since they'd found out she was pregnant it had increased unbearably. "I'm fine, Newt, honestly."

"Being a Magizoologist, I've seen what stress does to expectant mothers," Newt stated, barely even looking at her; his actions increased slightly in speed. "I've seen the effects it's had on the mother, how difficult the birth can be – and things are tense enough with the war on the way. I just don't want you to put any unnecessary stress on yourself, Tina."

Tina knew he was trying to help, in his own way, and gave a sigh of her own. "I'm careful, Newt, I swear. And once I start showing I'm going to stop doing fieldwork and focus on the paperwork instead…even if it _is_ unbearable."

Newt had agreed that this was an acceptable compromise and they'd left it at that – until now.

"I'm fine, honestly-"

"Dawkins said you barely dodged a curse," He interrupted anxiously, checking her over quickly. "He said that it had been close, so close it nearly hit you. What if it had? What would have happened?"

"Nothing happened!" She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Look at me: I'm still alive and I'm still pregnant. Dawkins was over-exaggerating, as always: it was only a Stunning spell. Nothing to worry about."

But her husband just gnawed on his bottom lip, still examining her with his eyes. "Stunning spells can _hurt_ – and you're carrying a _baby, our baby_. If that curse had hit you, it might have…" He stopped, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.

Tina sighed, shaking her head at him as she linked their hands – thankfully they were in the privacy of her office, and not in plain sight for all to see. "I know you're just worried – that you just want the best, for this to be a healthy pregnancy and birth. I'm sorry I worried you. But this is my job – this is what I love doing. I love helping people, I love knowing that I'm doing the right thing and keeping the community safe. I don't just want to give it up."

"Even if it means endangering our baby's life?"

"I hardly endangered my life or the baby's!" She disagreed. "I dodged a Stunning Spell and that's it. You're overreacting, Newt!"

"Overreacting?" Newt suddenly looked more shocked than she'd ever seen him, even _angry_. "Don't you understand? If that spell had hit you, you could have _lost_ the baby! Is working really worth that?"

They both fell silent at his words, looking at each other as it sunk in; Tina absent-mindedly touched her small bump, biting her lip as it registered in her brain. Even if he had overreacted, he _did_ have a point – if she had reacted just a second later, lost her footing or focus for even a second…she suddenly felt sick at the thought.

Newt's eyes had gone misty, indicating he was struggling to hold back tears. "I know you love doing this," He said quietly, taking her other hand and squeezing her fingers. "But I wish you didn't have to do it while you're pregnant with our baby. That's probably selfish of me to say, and I'm sorry, but it's how I feel."

"Don't be sorry – it's a good point. Perhaps," She murmured, somewhat in defeat. "I should resign from missions and start paperwork now until the baby's born. You're right: even if I _did_ dodge that spell, it _was_ too close for comfort."

"I don't want you to give your job up," He explained earnestly. "You love this job and you should be free to do whichever job you want…"

Tina just shook her head. "But not when it means putting the baby in danger. To be quite honest, I _have_ been getting larger than I care to admit: my robes are starting to get far too tight, and I've had to cast spells on them so they stretch properly." She looked down at their linked hands and let out a deep sigh. "This may sound silly, but…but I'm more afraid of _this_ than any dark wizard I've faced."

"What?" Newt seemed surprised by this. "Why?"

"I…I don't know if I'll be a good mother," She admitted, shaking her head again and avoiding his gaze. "I remember mine, of course, but not a lot…I don't think I'm meant to be a mother. It's like what Queenie said: I'm a 'career girl', I focus on work, planning things out, and that's just who I am. Being a mother is…" She trailed off. "So different."

"Tina," Newt said firmly, hesitantly touching her cheek with his hand. "You will be a wonderful mother. I've seen you caring for new-born creatures in our case – you may be an Auror, but you're gentle too, gentle and patient with them. The last batch of Occamy eggs that hatched actually prefer you to me, I believe, as you were the one there watching them hatch, making sure they were all healthy. I have no doubts you'll be just as wonderful a parent to our baby."

Tina gave him a slightly teary smile. "Do you really believe that?" When he nodded, she gave a small laugh. "You've always managed to see the best in me, even when I can't – you see the best in our beasts too, even when everyone else thinks there may be a reason to fear them. If anyone's going to be a wonderful parent, it's going to be you."

Newt went bright red. "That's…sweet of you to say, Tina. I think there's a rather significant difference between Occamy hatchlings and human babies, though."

Tina laughed, and he couldn't help but chuckle along too. "I'm sure we'll figure it all out," She told him optimistically, mood seeming to have lifted. "We're good at figuring things out…It'll be like another adventure for us."

"Yes," Newt agreed excitedly. "We're studying a new little creature, trying to learn all we can about it; its behaviour, its eating habits, watching it grow..."

"Indeed…though if I hear you refer to our children as 'creatures' or 'beasts' again, I may just lock you in that case for good."


End file.
